Anteaters bunt their way to victory

IRVINE – The 989th Division I victory in the illustrious career of UC Irvine baseball coach Mike Gillespie was achieved Friday night, like so many others, with perfect execution.

Pinch-hitter Ryan Cooper's safety-squeeze bunt brought home pinch-runner Justin Castro in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Anteaters a 5-4 victory over UC Davis at Cicerone Field.

The Anteaters (26-12, 8-5 Big West) got a break when, after Castro was sacrificed to second by Scott Gottschling, the second pitch of an intentional walk by Aggies reliever Max Cordy to Kris Paulino was wild, moving the winning run to third.

Cooper, a sophomore from Esperanza High, got his bunt down the first-base line, and Castro just beat the throw by Aggies first baseman Nick Lynch as UC Davis fell to 15-24, 3-10.

Asked how many games he's won via the bunt-off, 2010 Hall of Fame inductee Gillespie said: "We have the, I suppose, well-deserved reputation for that ... maybe 6 or 7 times a year, over 60 games."

Gillespie said UCI squeezed against the Aggies last year (when the Anteaters lost 2 of 3 at Davis), and that he feared UC Davis would pitch out against Cooper.

Perhaps the extra-wide one to Paulino figured into that equation.

Taylor Sparks got UCI even in the sixth with a long home run to left, his seventh of the season. Sparks had two hits, as did teammates Chris Rabago and Connor Spencer. Jerry McClanahan, who had a double, started the winning rally with a leadoff walk.

But the Anteaters, who quickly squandered a 2-0 first-inning lead, were unable to scratch out a victory for starter Andrew Thurman, who scattered 11 hits in 72/3 innings and allowed four runs (three earned). His finest moment was the seventh, when he stranded three Aggies.

"I really give him a lot of credit for battling like he did, particularly in that inning," Gillespie said. "This team is nine tough outs."

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